CCTV footage shows stolen car ploughing into pub inches away from people playing pool

CCTV captured the moment a dangerous driver smashed a stolen car through the wall of a pub - inches away from where customers were playing a game of pool. Jamie Kettle, 37, reached speeds of up to 110mph in the Land Rover Discovery as he led police on a high-speed chase through Worksop, Nottinghamshire, on the night of March 27 before eventually losing control of the vehicle and ploughing into the side of The Lockside pub, police said. CCTV images shows the car speeding through a set of traffic lights on the wrong side of the road.

Footage from inside the pub then shows the vehicle crashing into the wall, throwing rubble onto a group of pubgoers who were playing pool inside.

Kettle fled the scene after the collision and waded into a canal in an attempt to avoid the police, but he was swiftly located by specialist dog officers and arrested, Nottinghamshire Police said. The force said they had received a report of a stolen car from an address in Woodthorpe and officers managed to locate and follow the vehicle as it headed along the A614 towards Ollerton.

After exiting onto the A57, Kettle hit speeds of to up to 110mph, in a 60mph limit, as police activated their blue lights.

Kettle continued to drive dangerously, the force said, overtaking vehicles at high speed and running red lights before eventually smashing into the pub. Police said he was going too fast to negotiate a junction before he collided with the building. Kettle, of Thoresby Close, Harworth, was subsequently charged with aggravated vehicle taking, dangerous driving, driving while disqualified and without insurance, criminal damage to the pub, and two counts of theft from a shop, committed in Harworth on February 22 and March 2.

He pleaded guilty to the offences and appeared at Nottingham Crown Court[3] for sentencing last Friday (December 8).

Kettle also admitted two counts of common assault of an emergency worker after two police officers were called to a disturbance at an address in Bircotes on September 6 last year. Police said Kettle bent the first officer's fingers back and spat at the second officer as they tried to defuse the situation. He also pleaded guilty to a charge of witness intimidation, relating to an address in the Retford area on June 2 last year, when he threatened to burn their house down, the force said.

Kettle was jailed for two years. He was also banned from driving for three years and three months and must take an extended retest. Sergeant Clint Gloyn, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: "Kettle's dangerous and erratic driving showed utter disregard for the safety of others.

He continued to drive at speed in highly populated built-up areas before crashing into the pub. There were numerous people inside the pub at the time and also walking through the town centre. Extensive structural damage was caused to the pub but thankfully no-one was injured."

He added: "I'm glad we were able to bring this case before the courts and show that this type of criminality is unacceptable and offenders who put other people's safety at risk in this way will be robustly dealt with."

References

1. ^ Tyson Fury faces alleged GBP82k tax bill over Manchester Airport car parking scheme (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
2. ^ here. (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
3. ^ Nottingham Crown Court (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)